The invention relates to a valve means comprising a valve support having a component mounting face divided up into several component mounting sites placed in sequence in a row direction and at which respectively several valve support ducts of a valve support duct arrangement extending through the valve support open and which are able to be fitted individually with control units having at least one control valve, respectively.
A valve means disclosed in the European patent publication EP 1 637 789 A1 of this type comprises a plate-like valve support which is fitted with several control units each mounted on a component mounting site specifically associated with them. The width of the individual control units is equal to the width of the individual component mounting sites. By way of valve support ducts, opening at the component mounting sites, of a valve support duct arrangement (extending in the valve support) a control valve of the associated control unit is supplied with fluid pressure medium, the control valve being seated on an intermediate plate or being able to be installed directly on the component mounting site. The use of an intermediate plate renders possible producing a specific influence on the fluid flowing between the valve support and the control valve, as for example a regulation of pressure.
The European patent publication EP 0 584 494 A1 describes the optional fitting of a valve means with adapter plates in order to jointly install control valves of different design series on the same valve support.
The German patent publication DE 44 44 024 A1 discloses a valve means in which control units, which do not have any intermediate plates, are directly mounted on individual component mounting sites of a valve support. A comparable arrangement is disclosed by the German patent publication DE 298 10 091 U1, in which case a further possibility is mentioned of combining control valves of different width on a valve support.